Turkey: Violence escalates in predominantly Kurdish city

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Nationalist Islamist youth groups have threatened gay and trans pride parades. A Nationalist Muslim youth group issued a severely worded statement against the 13th Gay Pride Parade in Istanbul, scheduled for next week.

“We are warning you in advance we are not responsible for what happens after this,” the statement read. The ultra-nationalist Islamist youth group added they will do whatever it takes to stop the parade from taking place during Ramadan.

Another group called the Anatolian Muslim Youth made a call to supporters saying “we are duty bound to stop the deviancy, we are waiting for you.”

The Istanbul governorship issued a statement banning the parade, citing security reasons. Last year the parade was banned, and police dispersed crowds using tear gas and water cannons.